Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
During the mid 1970s there was something of an musical uprising, originating in the underground rock scenes of New York and London. Rebelling against the tedium of the American MOR rock bands (Middle of the Road) and the noodling solos and pompously epic song structures of British prog, an ever-growing army of young and exciting bands marched into the public eye. Their manifesto was loud, fast and angry, at times shocking, and often politically anti-establishment. The New York scene evolved in downtown Manhatten during the early 1970s, where bands such as The New York Dolls and Television performed their rebellious brand of spiky guitar-based music with plenty of attitude. Television's bassist, Richard Hell was an early representative of the punk fashion, sporting ripped T-shirts, cropped, ragged hair and safety pins.
Englishman briefly managed the New York Dolls during this period, eventually returning to London in 1975. He brought with him many of the aesthetic and musical ideas of the New York scene, injecting much of the imagery via the fashion boutique Sex he co-owned with Vivienne Westwood in Chelsea. He was managing local band The Strand at the time, and as the band took on new singer Johnny Rotten he guided them through a name change as they became The Sex Pistols.
Malcom McClaren
The Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant [1977 | Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols] Despite the common misconception that punk bands are inept and musically unskilled, the performances and song-writing can be heard to be of a high standard. The darkly humorous and ironic lyrics set the scene for a frustrated and disenchanted youth, rebelling against the struggles of city life during the 1970s, and Rotten clearly enunciates every word in his pushy drawl making sure the whole world can hear him above the overdriven amplifiers and Paul Cook's pounding drums. The production of the track draws a balance between capturing the raw energy of The Sex Pistols' live performance and the presentation of the well-crafted pop song with guitar overdubs and carefully balanced vocals. During 1976 The Sex Pistols built themselves a dedicated following, inspiring other young musicians in the UK (notably in London and Manchester where some of the most memorably chaotic Pistols gigs occurred) to develop bands with similar rebellious attitude. Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Clash and the Buzzcocks were all formed in a direct response to The Sex Pistols, all joining the anti-establishment voice.
The Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK [1977 | Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols] During the rest of their short career, the Pistols caused trouble in as many places as possible, often in seemingly contrived, controversial situations where the press could capture footage of regular police involvement and regular violence. McClaren was in his managerial element, and the 'shock-tactics' publicity and notoriety of the band was further enhanced as bassist Matlock was replaced by disturbed extrovert Sid Vicious, a move which certainly unsettled the other band members. They were signed and dropped by several major labels before finally achieving the release of their only official album, Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols on Richard Branson's Virgin Records in October 1977. One of the most well-known tracks from the album, Anarchy in the UK, lyrically sums up the crash-and-burn attitude of the band. The band split after a disastrous US tour in early 1978. Having been struggling with heroin addiction and personal crises, Sid Vicious was found dead from an overdose in 1979. Despite their short recording career, the legacy of The Sex Pistols is not to be underestimated. Their
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Hong Kong Garden [1978 | Non-album single] During the following five years, the Banshees experimented musically through various line-up changes, for a time including The Cure front-man Robert Smith on guitar, then settling with drummer Budgie and ex-Magazine guitarist John McGeoch, as evident on the 1981 album Juju. By this stage, the band were labelled as part of the 'gothic' movement, with a darker approach to production and Siouxsie's look of jet black hair and heavy contributing to the image. The band themselves discounted the label, but Siouxsie and the Banshees were
definitely an inspiration for many young, alternative bands with gothic leanings form the early
Fifth album A Kiss in the Dreamhouse saw the band experimenting further with instruments and production, featuring strings, tape loops, recorders and layers of overdubbing. McGeoch was fired shortly after the album release amid problems of alcohol abuse. Robert Smith from The Cure was hired for the second time and the band continued to develop the exotic sound of gothic rock, featuring dark, introspective lyrics and foreboding, epic production. One of the band's most commercially successful singles, a cover of Dear Prudence by The Beatles, was released during 1983, reaching number 3 in the UK charts. Effected guitars and heavily reverbed vocals add to the psychedelic, gothic interpretation of the song. Siouxie's vocal delivery is brooding and sultry, further pulling the sound away from punk and into gothic territory. Siouxsie and the Banshees went on experimenting further during the late 80s and early 90s, dabbling with other instrumentation and even employing a keyboard player. Cello and accordion can be heard on their acclaimed 1988 album Peepshow, while sequenced drums
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence [1983 | Non-album single] and more exotic soundscapes coloured 1991's Superstition album. Their diversity and pioneering, experimental approach to the post punk and goth rock scenes resulted in the group being influential to a huge range of artists, from trip hop producers to indie rockers to electronic dance acts. Siouxsie herself established an exciting visual aesthetic, blending theatrical makeup and black, spiky hair with black, fetish outfits inspired by Westwood's punk designs, becoming an icon for the female goth/punk style.
Second album Give 'Em Enough Rope and more touring of the UK and a first tour of the US was followed by the landmark album London Calling in 1979. The album consolidated The Clash's musical diversity, incorporating elements of punk, reggae, ska, rockabilly and rock 'n' roll. The title track, with its choppy guitar chords, prominent bass and minor tonality paints a stark picture of the UK capital at the end of the decade. The band continued to experiment with different styles, including rap, hip hop, funk and dub reggae, the following two albums Sandinista! and Combat Rock demonstrate wide diversity.
Combat Rock features two guest spoken word artists, piano, keyboards and saxophone at various points. Often considered 'the beginning of the end' of the group, Combat Rock was a commercial and critical success, reaching number 2 in the UK album charts and number 7 in the US. Single Rock the Casbah (featuring a political lyric about an Iranian ban on rock music) has slick, funk influences and certainly pushes the boundaries of punk rock.
The Clash - London Calling [1979 | London Calling] During the following few years the band gradually disintegrated, Jones going on to have success with Big Audio Dynamite during the 1980s. Various moves towards Clash re-union projects over the years became academic due to Strummer's death from a congenital heart defect in 2002.
Music Technology 2012 Special Focus Style Punk and New Wave
Buzzcocks - Breakdown [1977 | Spiral Scratch EP] overdriven guitar laden with attitude. The band toured extensively throughout the period in Europe and the US and demo recordings for a fourth album were commenced before the recording process collapsed. Pete Shelley wrote to the other members of the band in 1981 informing them of the end of the Buzzcocks.
Buzzcocks Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't Have) [1978 | Love Bites] The various members followed musical careers after the Buzzcocks, Shelley in a solo capacity and the others forming or joining different bands. Since 1989 the group has re-united in various different forms, and Shelley along with long-term guitarist Steve Diggle are still touring as the
Buzzcocks - Lipstick [1978 | Non-album single] Formula's keyboards and an innovative song-writing approach, contributing to the increasing use of synthesizers in the post punk sound. This tending towards the experimental sound of what was to become the New Romantic scene was further demonstrated by several members of the band temporarily joining electronic group Visage. Soon after the release of the album, guitarist McGeoch left the band permanently to join Siouxsie and the Banshees, perhaps the beginning of the end for Magazine. Only one further album followed in 1981, at which point the other founder member Devoto also quit and the band was no more. The legacy of Magazine's alternative sound lives on, with their influence evident in bands such as Radiohead and The Killers. In 2006, influential indie rock singer Morrissey (originally of The Smiths) covered A
Music Technology 2012 Special Focus Style Punk and New Wave
Magazine - Give Me Everything [1979 | Secondhand Daylight] Song from Under the Floorboards from Magazine's third album. The band reformed in 2009 and are still performing to this day.
Magazine - A Song from Under the Floorboards [1980 | The Correct Use of Soap]
their use of the Union Jack flag. This contrasted with the destructive message of The Sex Pistols. The second album This is the Modern World saw the band diversifying, sometimes in a more
The Jam - Going Underground [1980 | Non-album single] Sound Affects also demonstrates the influence of the rapidly growing new wave/post punk scene, particularly bands such as Joy Division, XTC and Wire.
Further evidence of Weller's love for soul and funk was also evident on the album, and increasingly so on The Jam's final album The Gift, which was released in 1982. Indeed, Weller's enthusiasm for other genres was contributory to disagreements within the band leading to their split in December that year. The influence of 60s Motown (which was an influence on many 60s mod artists) can be heard very obviously in The Jam's number 1 hit A
Ian Dury - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll [1977 | Non-album single] working class poetry, describing in storyline verses the sexual exploits of fictional Essex bricklayer Dickie. Influences of reggae and Dury's love of British Old Time Musical Hall can be
In October 1977 the recording group started performing as Ian Dury & The Blockheads on the Stiff Records Live Stiff Tour. This consolidated the group's identity as a band, and sowed the seeds for the next album Do It Yourself and hugely successful singles What a Waste and Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick, both released in 1978, neither included on the album itself as usual. What a Waste follows the life-questioning theme of Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, while musically containing influences of jazz fusion, reggae, funk and rock 'n' roll.
Ian Dury & The Blockheads - What a Waste [1978 | Non-album single] A further hit single Reasons to be Cheerful Pt 3 followed in 1979 at a time when Ian Dury's increasingly unpredictable behaviour and alcohol abuse was beginning to impact on relationships in the band, initial collaborator Chaz Jankel temporarily leaving the band more than once! After two more less successful albums, the group disbanded in 1982. In the following years Ian Dury released solo material and at various times re-united with the Blockheads, usually for specific concerts, eventually recording a final album after Dury was diagnosed with cancer. The influential singer and poet died in March 2000 leaving a legacy of forward-thinking British music.
The Stranglers - Peaches [1977 | Rattus Norvegicus] 1977 single Peaches. Later that year, the band released second album No More Heroes, the title track of which
The Stranglers - No More Heroes Most of The Stranglers' early material contained strong, controversial themes such as paranoia and misogyny. Drug abuse lead to problems, including Cornwell's temporary imprisonment in
The Stranglers - Duchess [1979 | The Raven] 1980 for possession of heroin. After their third album the group changed management, and simultaneously developed their musical direction somewhat. Fourth album The Raven contained a huge range of material, from radio-friendly new wave pop songs such as Duchess to the highly experimental synthladen Meninblack. Complex musical arrangements and diverse lyrics covering both political and introspective subjects demonstrate a pushing of the boundaries. This album has clearly been an inspiration for many alternative rock bands in the years to come. During the following years, The Stranglers pursued further musical diversity, temporarily
The Stranglers - Meninblack [1979 | The Raven] alienating their fans with concept albums and direction changes. However, in 1982 the second single from sixth album La Folie was an unusual ballad entitled Golden Brown, interpretable either as a song about heroin, or about a girl. The song features a folk-influenced harpsichord line in an unusual pattern of time signatures. The band were clearly a long way from the aggressive punk attitude of five years previous.
The Stranglers - Golden Brown [1982 | La Folie] Following La Folie, the band signed a new record deal with Epic. Given their past successes and more recently with the worldwide hit Golden Brown, the label gave them complete
The Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop [1976 | Ramones] successful in capturing some of the band's performance spirit, failed to achieve commercially, setting the scene for The Ramones future lack of acceptance in the mainstream. Outside of New York, the band initially struggled to draw audiences, until July 1976 when the band first performed in the UK. At their gig in London they met members of The Sex Pistols and The Clash, an event which fuelled the growing British scene. Other cities in the US and Canada were also soon introduced to The Ramones as the punk phenomenon began to spread. The following two albums improved slightly on the commercial success of the bands recorded work, though still relatively inconsequential in terms of chart positions. Third album Rocket to Russia included two singles which both managed to enter the bottom half of the Billboard Hot 100, Sheena is a Punk Rocker and Rockaway Beach. Both songs contain many similar characteristics to those of the band's British counterparts, The Sex Pistols, namely high-energy drumming, driving, overdriven power chords on the guitar, and relatively simple chord progressions and song structures. The vocals are less abusive in their delivery however, and lyrically the songs deal with different subject matter. There is also a strong direct evidence of West Coast 60s surf rock.
The Ramones - Sheena is a Punk Rocker [1977 | Rocket to Russia] production quality, clarifying the band's appeal despite the relative lack of commercial success. Following a live album, drummer Tommy retired from his position in the band, remaining as their studio producer. With replacement Marc Bell (Marky Ramone of course!), they recorded a fourth album experimenting on occasion with acoustic guitar and some slower material. During 1979 the band appeared in a movie called Rock 'n' Roll High School, and in the aftermath of this returned to the studio to work with Wall of Sound producer Phil Spector, previously known for his 60s soul recordings and work with The Beatles and John Lennon in the early 70s. The album End of the Century is generally considered to present a somewhat 'watered down' version of The Ramones, however it was also the most successful album
The Ramones - Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? [1980 | End of the Century] reaching number 44 in the US album chart and number 14 in the UK. The production is typical of Spector, with layers of instruments and double-tracking creating his distinctive wall of sound. Another single from the album, a cover of Ronettes Baby, I Love You (originally a Spector production in the 60s) featured a string section, and achieved number 8 in the UK charts, their biggest British hit. The cleaner, pop-infused production continued through the next few albums until the departure of drummer Marky in 1983 due to his alcoholism. During the 80s the band continued to release albums, initially returning some way towards the sound of their earlier more punky material. Despite their on-going lack of success and personal differences within the band (notably between Johnny and Joey), the band continued to be something of a punk institution, respected by their peers and successors, recording and performing through into the 1990s. They even appeared in an episode of The Simpsons in 1993. Joey Ramone died of lymphoma in 2001, Dee Dee in 2002 from a heroine overdose, and Johnny in 2004 as a result of cancer. They leave behind a legacy of punchy, high speed pop song, developed by them with influence from the proto-punk sound of The New York Dolls and The Stooges mixed with the directness of The Beach Boys, The Beatles and Phil Spector's Wall of Sound hits, and in opposition to the heavy, laborious progressive sound of other 1970s rock.
Music Technology 2012 Special Focus Style Punk and New Wave
Lines was one of the biggest hits of 1978/9. Supremely assured, the group was unafraid to go disco, go art, or just play fine, fine pop. After years in the business, Debbie Harry was street-wise, confident, completely in control. Thousands of teenagers were enraptured boys wanted to be with her, girls wanted to be her. With her musical partner Chris Stein, they created intelligent pop that referenced all of their 60s favourites, while embracing the CBGBs punk scene in New York that the group had grown out of. Working with British bubblegum producer, Mike Chapman, they selected material which played to the group's strengths. Chapman had co-written glam classics such as Blockbuster
Blondie Hanging On The Telephone [1978/79 | Parallel Lines] by Sweet and Tiger Feet by Mud, so was well-trained in spotting a great pop tune when he heard one. And hear them he did, with Stein and Harry dipping into a catalogue of songs, with contributions from the rest of the band and songwriter Jack Lee, who contributed the unforgettable opener, Hanging On The Telephone. To underline Blondies art background,
The Undertones| 1975-1983 | 1999present The Undertones emerged from Derry in Northern Ireland in the whole punk, mew wave boom of 1977-1978. They had actually formed in 1975. The time-honoured five mates who played cover versions in youth clubs. The line up featured the ONeill brothers John and Damian on guitars, Michael Bradley on bass, Billy Doherty on drums, and on vocals Feargal Sharkey. Like countless others, punk rock fired their imagination, and gave shape and direction to their material. A love of Garage bands as heard on the seminal Lenny Kaye compilation Nuggets helped formulate their predilection for songs with strong chorus hooks, keeping songs short, economical and dynamic. It wasnt until 1978 that their pop fizz bombs were finally preserved on vinyl, with the classic debut single Teenage Kicks, released originally on the Good Vibrations label. The song so enamoured influential Radio One deejay John Peel that he announced it to be his favourite record of all time, and played the single incessantly. The Undertones shared a musical commonality with The Ramones in the USA and The Buzzcocks in England, wherein their songs were distilled to an addictive core, but still finding time for lyrical invention and musical flair. Signing to The Ramones label, Sire, the bands eponymous debut album and its follow-up, Hypnotised, showed that Teenage Kicks was no mere fluke. On Hypnotised, the band even spoofed label mates Talking Heads second album, More Songs About Buildings and Food with
The Undertones Teenage Kicks [1978] Subsequent albums, such as Positive Touch and The Sin of Pride showed a band with an increasing mastery of studio technique, and a greater feel for song arrangement and structure. Sadly, internal tensions within the band reached breaking point, with the result, that singer Feargal Sharkey departed, to pursue a solo career, and the ONeill brothers formed the highly regarded and popular That Petrol Emotion. However, in 1999, The Undertones reconvened to play some shows in Derry, without Sharkey, his role being taken by Paul McLoone whose electric onstage presence more than make's up for Sharkeys absence. It was like the band never split; they were rapturously received. The old classics were as fresh and their live performances as exhilarating as in 1979 with the new songs receiving a positive reaction from audiences and critics alike. They are now playing selective shows around the globe, attracting old fans, and many younger fans intrigued to have an opportunity to see one of the major influences on the new wave of pop/punk bands such as Sum41, The Hives and Green Day etc. As well as performing live the Undertones have also recorded and released an album of new material, "GET WHAT YOU NEED" plus a "BEST OF", both albums were released in the autumn of 2003 and received unanimous critical acclaim.